A rude awakening

On the day that the English cricket season officially (or unofficially) started with the traditional season curtain raiser where the County Champions Sussex were entertained by their hosts the MCC at Lords; Warwickshire were given a scare by the students of Oxford UCCE.

So far their pre-season has started well, with two convincing wins against Worcestershire in One Day cricket and with a number of impressive performances with bat and ball. However the two day game against Oxford served as a reminder that this is still largely the same group of players who represented the club last season. There is no doubt that the club are in a much better place than they were at the fag end of last season, but Ashley Giles was right to try and stem expectations last week in an interview with The Post.

There are promising signs, not least, perversely that the last wicket pair of Carter and Woakes had the character and strength of mind to play a pair of rear guard innings to save the match. It might not be the sort of thing we would choose to see, but one of the most disturbing things about last season was the lack of spirit in the side. A good bit of battling goes some way towards showing that the squad has improved their mental fortitude over the winter, which can be no bad thing.